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Two thirds of school-run mothers will try to get one up on fellow parents when their kids go back to school following the six week summer break, with one in six sporting a new haircut and a new outfit while others will be showing off a new suntan.

It also emerged the average mum will spend up to 25 minutes perfecting their hair and make-up and deciding what to wear in preparation for the big day - around seven minutes longer than it will take them to get the children ready.

Yesterday a spokeswoman for Sainsbury's, which carried out the research among 2,000 mums to mark the start of the new school year, said: ''Mums put themselves under an awful lot of pressure to be great at everything, and it seems looking their best is something else they want to perfect for the first day of school.

''People are often quick to judge, and a massive number of mums feel the need to impress at the school gates and purposefully get their hair done or splash out on new clothes. So much so they're spending more time and money on themselves, rather than getting their kids ready to step out the front door in their new school uniform.''

The study also found one in two mums always aim to look their best at the school gates. And the average mum will spend around £60 on new clothes, shoes or accessories to wear on their kid's first day back.

One in five has a new haircut which will set them back around £50 on average. By contrast, mums will spend £54 on their child's new school uniform and £18 on stationery.

The survey also revealed 58 per cent of mums wouldn't dare attempt the school run without make-up. More than eight out of ten wouldn't leave home without running a brush through their hair, while three quarters would never drop the kids at the school gates if they were wearing the same outfit as the day before.

Having unwashed hair (81 per cent), a breakout of spots (70 per cent) and wet hair (65 per cent) were also school run no-nos, while one in six admitted asking their partner or neighbour to run the kids to school because they 'didn't look up to it'.

A third of those questioned worry more about getting themselves ready for the new term than they do getting their kids prepared, with seven out of ten admitting they were nervous about what other mums think of them.

Eight in ten also confessed to encouraging their children to get themselves ready for school in the morning so they have more time to perfect their look.

It also emerged that the majority of mothers regard their competitiveness as 'ridiculous' but most said they 'just can't help themselves'.